Ratings16
Average rating3.7
"The Widow of Rose House is close to perfection and any lover of historical romance will adore this debut." - Smart Bitches Trashy Books It’s 1875, and Alva Webster is ready for a fresh start. After three years of being pilloried in the presses for fleeing her abusive husband, his sudden death allows her to return to New York where she is determined to restore a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion, and hopefully her reputation at the same time. She is decidedly not supposed to fall in love. But when a haunting at her new home threatens her careful plans, she must seek help from the eccentric and brilliant and - much to her dismay - very handsome Professor Samuel Moore. Alva doesn’t need more complications in her life, especially not a convention-flouting, scandal-raising one like Sam. Unfortunately, Sam is the only one who can help. Together, the two delve into the tragic secrets wreathing Alva’s new home while Sam attempts to unlock Alva’s history—and her heart. Set during the Gilded Age in New York City, The Widow of Rose House is a gorgeously romantic debut by Diana Biller, with an intrepid and resilient American heroine guaranteed to delight readers as she starts over and finds true love. "A chemistry-fueled debut with a bit of a ghost story, great for readers of gothic romance." - Booklist "Biller mirrors Wharton's genius for revealing the emotional gold lying beneath the Gilded Age, which motivates the novel's massive romantic turmoil." - Bookpage (Most Anticipated Romances)
Reviews with the most likes.
This was a much longer read than I was anticipating and I was worried that it would be too historical and not sexy enough for my general romance novel taste, but it ended up being like a nice, romantic fiction novel. I think you have to be interested in a longer, more story-based romance to come away loving this book but it's very accessible. The hero and heroine have some adorable chemistry, and there's just enough of a Real Problem that doesn't simply hinge on silly Big Misunderstanding (my pet peeve with a lot of romance.) Great debut for this author.